Page 9 - NorthAmOil Week 42 2022

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New Jersey sues five oil and gas

companies over climate claims

NEW JERSEY THE State of New Jersey has filed a lawsuit to sow doubts about the existence, causes and
against five oil and gas companies over allega- effects of climate change”, said the state attorney
tions that they had made false climate claims that general’s office.
misled the public. “Based on their own research, these compa-
The suit, filed in New Jersey Superior Court nies understood decades ago that their products
in Mercer County, names as defendants Exxon- were causing climate change and would have
Mobil, Shell Oil, Chevron, BP, ConocoPhillips devastating environmental impacts down the
and the trade association American Petroleum road,” said New Jersey Attorney General Mat-
Institute (API). thew Platkin. More than two
New Jersey claims that the oil companies and “They went to great lengths to hide the truth
the API systematically concealed and denied and mislead the people of New Jersey, and the dozen other
their knowledge that fossil fuel consumption world. In short, these companies put their prof-
could have a catastrophic impact on the climate, its ahead of our safety. It’s long overdue that the states, cities
causing the devastating consequences of fossil facts be aired in a New Jersey court, and the per-
fuel overconsumption. petrators of the disinformation campaign pay and counties
New Jersey cited the significant sea level rise, for the harms they’ve caused,” he said. have similarly
flooding and extreme weather that have bat- The state is seeking civil penalties and
tered the state’s citizens and businesses, requir- damages. sued oil and gas
ing the state and its residents to shoulder the More than two dozen other states, cities and
costs of rebuilding, hardening New Jersey’s counties have similarly sued oil and gas compa- companies over
defences against severe weather and making nies over their climate claims.
the necessary transition away from reliance on Representatives for ConocoPhillips and BP their climate
fossil fuels to a more sustainable clean-energy did not comment. Spokespersons for the other claims.
future. three companies variously said that they are
The API is accused of playing a key role in reducing their emissions, and that the lawsuit
orchestrating and implementing climate denial is a distraction that wastes taxpayer money. A
campaigns on behalf of and under the supervi- Chevron spokesperson said it is an attempt to
sion of the fossil fuel defendants. “punish a select group of energy companies for a
The defendants not only misled the public problem that is the result of worldwide conduct
about the role of fossil fuels in climate change; stretching back to the beginning of the Indus-
they “launched public-relations campaigns trial Revolution”.™

Week 42 20•October•2022 www. NEWSBASE .com P9